Does anyone know if it's possible to import the arduino uno cad files into solidworks?
Solidworks has an add-in called CircuitWorks that should let you import the provided arduino_Uno_ref.brd file but requires an IDF Library file (.emp, .lib, .pro, .ldf, .idl). Any idea where I can find the required library file?
I need some sort of physical 3d model of the Arduino Uno board, most importantly with height dimensions of the board.
Are there other ways of going about this?
Well the board design itself has no physical size data attached to it.
Perhaps you can put it into KiCAD and use wings3D to make a 3D version and then export that as some kind of file format which can be used by Solidworks.
Mowcius
I would really appreciate something like this as well -- Solidworks, DXF, some 3D format. I'm making hardware and it would be wonderful to know how to mount the Arduino, since these dimensions are not clear.
Thanks!
Look at the board layout in eagle - the locations of the components (e.g. mounting holes, jacks) are easily determined.
A datasheet for the jack, plug, etc would be nice to have for the mechanical dimensions of a particular part.
As for component height, a scale or calipers will find that quickly.
-j
I was able to get the .brd file to show up in Eagle, and that would give me the location of each component, and its length and width dimensions.
Given this I could easily draw it in Solidworks, but I'm still missing height information.
Problem is I haven't purchased the Arduino Uno yet so I can't use calipers to take height measurements. I'd like to model it with its packaging.
Is there any place that lists each component on the Arduino board?
Sometimes cad files are available on manufactures' websites for each specific component they produce, so with a list I could go hunting for them.
The tallest thing on the board is the B type USB connector. Dimensions for that should be easy to find.
-j
This would be awesome me342!
Funny that the Arduino team doesn't already have resources like this. The lack of info really encourages hardware developers like me to just to take the ATMEGA chip itself and just build it into our own board, rather than go through the trouble of mocking up the whole Arduino in SolidWorks.
dummy message so I can post an actual link to a Solidworks file
Here's a link to a zip file I just made:
http://ajawam.home.comcast.net/sw_uno.zip
Did this in a few hours - Soooo...
In there is a pack and go of the UNO as a SW 2010 file
also an exe EDWG for those that just want to view
and a 214 STEP file for other CAD/EDA programs
Not sure how accurate - used common 3D solids from website
Tho the PCB itself was made from a Eagle-to-Altium-to-DWG file that was used as the sketch element for the SW PCB model.
Everything is mated, again not sure about the models.
Have fun!!!
Note that the SW2010 assy/prts are in the zip in the zip...
For those with SW versions below 2010 you can use the STEP file
Also -Altium may import this... maybe
BTW - the whole ROHS thing:
Read this:
this guy is one of the GODs for PCB layout stuff, along with Eric Bogatin and Happy Holden (father of DFM)
His book High Speed Digital Design is considered by us hardware folk as the bible for understanding good layout.
Note the links to NASA's whisker site:
http://nepp.nasa.gov/whisker/
Note the links to the EPA report on SAC:
http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/dfe/pubs/solder/lca/index.htm
Note that I CANNOT use lead free (I design weapon stuff)
due to the concerns of whisker growth
Note that Swatch pushed an exemption thru:
"This came from studies referenced by Swatch in their application for exemption. Swatch was seeking some kind of rule they could use to exempt themselves without raising the issue for everyone. They found some research support for the idea that whiskers don't grow beyond 800 microns. Based on that, they postulated that a 650 micron pitch was unsafe, and should be exempted, but 800 microns was fine and didn't need exemption. Now you go look at the picture in Fig. 2 and tell me that there is a hard upper limit on whisker length. I don't think so."
So as to the Zero Carbon thing - talk to a CM that runs a Lead Free line... ask Mariss at Geckodrives how fun it was to get his line to do LF.
Higher reflow == more energy //carbon footprint bye bye...
BTW - here's a link to my stuff:
http://home.comcast.net/~ajawamnet/wc/wamcover.htm
Been doing this since 1982.
I like hardware... exception handling been around for about 14 billion years... I screw up, electron go dat way...
You software guys - you make your own reality. Hats off to my coders and all of you.
I make the babies - youz got to raise/teach them
I can barely get a simple Atmel to work...
Also -Altium may import this... maybe
Altium imports it just fine.
used common 3D solids from website
I'm about to start using SW, can you tell me where to get models so I don't have to draw everything myself.
Rob
I'm about to start using SW, can you tell me where to get models so I don't have to draw everything myself.
Often manufacturer websites will have 3D models of products but for a lot of mechanical stuff, 3Dcontentcentral has all the bolts/bearings etc you could ever want 
Not sure what else they have on there but the mechanical models sure are handy.
Mowcius
Thanks wam, that looks great. How did you determine placement of the components, and could you let me know where you found the CAD files for those components?
The Solidworks 2010 models are in the zip I linked to:
http://ajawam.home.comcast.net/sw_uno.zip
The zip file will extract to:
-uno-assy.exe // the EDWG file
-uno-assy.STEP // the STEP 214 file
-uno-assy.zip // a zip of the SW 2010 parts and assembly
So after extracting sw_uno.zip, also unzip the uno-assy.zip.
This is a Solidworks Pack and Go; it re-associates the parts to a flat hierarchy- ie all the sldprt paths are in the same dir as the assy file.
All the parts are not related to each other so they can be used in other stuff. anyone with SWorks experience knows what I mean.
Most of the parts were from mfg websites, some are from 3Dcontentcentral. They typically only have SWorks files for later versions; and SWorks will not save backwards. But they offer STEP and a host of other formats; you lose the features but from what I've seen most aren't native solidworks anyway - they come in as imported solids. But these can be further edited with new features in whatever version of SW you have.
The pcb was driven from an ACAD DWG sketch that was exported Altium which came into altium from Eagle's protel PCB export ULP. so the board should be nutz dead on as to the Eagle file barring any Eagle to Altium translation errors.
Whats strange is I did that before I even received an UNO - just a guess and looking at the website pics. I've done lots of this stuff so I can kinda guess good.
What I'm trying is to is code a bit more; stupid stuff I can use. For real code I rely on a few really experienced guys, one is Larry Wimble - he's listed on Atmel's site. He's been coding AVR's since they first came out in the the 1990's. He loves AVR, hates rabbits... makes fun of PIC's. And he's coded numerous stuff on all of them.
My website's listed above and my email and contact info is there if you guys need anything hardware wise. I'm just happy to have gotten my UNO to work standalone with the Arduino IDE and my AVRISPII with my stupid little programs... took less than a day to get basic functionality.
And I ain't no coder... but years of sitting with them to debug my hardware paid off. Mainly 'cause I had to battle with "it's the hardware" kinda thing...
Just went thru a design for a medical device for a well known company. Had to have full galvanic isolation between two AT901287USB's - one as a USB host and one as a USB device with both only powered by the device side. The iso power was the worst; the EMI testing these guys do is insane and the AD chips they sell for this radiate better than a lot of radios Sanjay and I have done (he's on my website - another amazing coder for any uC/uP). Ended up with a discrete iso power design.
Even the USB host AVR drive was 10dBuV of EMI above what they wanted.
Nutz, as is the rest of the testing both SWare and HWare. We got it thru so far tho...
Oh and I have to say.. the marketturds at places like Altium, Dassault, etc... are just that - turds.
I recall my SWorks VAR coming over with his FAE... I mentioned the whole ad campaign they had at the time - a little cartoon with a guy from the electrical and the guy from the mechanical depts with puzzle pieces, trying to show how they integrated with each other.
then i mentioned the flash demo that followed, showing the demo of Sworks with some cell phone PCB and the narrations saying stuff like "just move the components..." and the screen showing him dragging an SOT23-5 across the board.
First I threw down my disk of SW 1996 (yep been using it since 95 when it came out - they'd never seen one) and said if any mechanical weeny screwed my spilt planes up by doing that in SW's I'd shove the puzzle piece where the sun don't shine...
Altium does the same crap with their flashy web-mantras... they seem to chase things ever since Nick took it public in AU... Loved the hardware software thing they tried.
"Yea Larry, you won't use your software tool chain anymore... you'll do your source in Altium. Screw the years of libraries, scripts, debugging your dev tools, you need Altium"
I'd get a keyboard up my ... and no code. Like I mentioned you ought to hear him rant about Dynamic C...
My rants on various audio stuff:
http://home.comcast.net/~ajawamnet/marketturd.htm
i know you MAC guys will flame me on this.. but last xmas i went to a local "pinky" mall here in DC... ya know the ones that have the trophy wives and beautiful people running around.
So of course there's the Apple store - too cool to even have a name on it. Just a backlit silver apple. So my kids and wife are going to the build a bear thing and I say "got to go to see this - never been in one"
As I approach, they have the cute sales girls up front, to attract the geeks that never seen a real girl naked before. As I approach, a nasty old long hair in my Columbo coat, the one looks at the others and shrugs then approaches.
I declined stating I was just looking for software... So I go back to the rack with their boxes and the manager guy comes up. After telling him about my marketturd rant, he sheepishly pulls out his inventory scanning gun... Running XP embedded.
figures...
Interesting read, rather off topic but hey...
I declined stating I was just looking for software... So I go back to the rack with their boxes and the manager guy comes up. After telling him about my marketturd rant, he sheepishly pulls out his inventory scanning gun... Running XP embedded.
Well they'd probably pull out their iphones now and try to photograph some barcode for you
From my experience, all places seem to use pretty much the same motorola POS for scanners. Not sure what these delivery services use but they're the worst, trying to sign your name on something that takes a touch reference point every 250ms or something... Just ends up as a bunch of straight lines illegible as anyone's signature ;D
Mowcius
Thanks, this CAD is awesome!